


Grounded

by Lucigoosey_The_Lightbringer



Series: Renegades (Steven Universe: Homeworld AU) [19]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Gen, I Am My Mom Gone Wrong, Implied/Referenced Torture, Past Brainwashing, Past Memory Loss, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Trauma, Renegades Steven Universe AU, Steven Universe Has PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Steven Universe's Brother, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-17 08:47:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28971570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucigoosey_The_Lightbringer/pseuds/Lucigoosey_The_Lightbringer
Summary: As if a switch had been flipped, the corners of his mouth curved upwards into a vicious sneer, and his mouth moved without his permission, replying, "I am a child. What's your excuse?"| Post-IASU (I Am Steven Universe.)
Relationships: Pink Steven Universe & Steven Universe, Steven Universe & Aster Universe, Steven Universe & White Diamond
Series: Renegades (Steven Universe: Homeworld AU) [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1918204
Comments: 20
Kudos: 40





	Grounded

Steven didn't know what to say.

Apparently, he wasn't supposed to; White Diamond simply continued to speak, that cold smile etched across her face, completely unbothered by the fact that Steven had responded with nothing more than a wide, silent stare in her direction. "And, _stars_ , I do have to say I'm quite glad your little, mm, escapade is over. Finally. It's about time… I always knew it wouldn't hold." She grinned down at him, her teeth glinting in the dim light surrounding them. Steven shifted his arms back a little, pulling himself back sharply and casting a quick glance over his shoulder, eyes darting around rapidly in search of an exit. His eyes found their way back to White Diamond again, however, when the giant gem slowly lowered her hands and tilted her head at him, the smile on her face slowly melting into a frown. "What's the matter? You look terrified. Certainly you're not scared of me!" She laughed, extending a hand toward him, and he flinched.

"Oh…" She pouted at him, but a twinkle of delight had entered her gaze, an amused expression despite the frown that her lips had pursed into, and it made him shudder again. "That's too bad."

Steven took a deep breath, heart pounding. This was White Diamond. He'd spoken to her before, through that Pearl. Of course, talking to a Pearl wasn't nearly as terrifying as talking to the tall, giant white glowstick in front of him who could squish him like a bug with one of her high heels. He felt like something cold was pricking the back of his neck, and yet he was sweating like he was in a sauna. The hybrid shuddered, running his tongue over his lips, and spoke. "I-"

"So," White Diamond interrupted, and Steven jumped, feeling the ground shift under his feet. Another horrible shudder ran through him, mouth abruptly running dry as he was lifted up into the air, and he dared to step back. The platform underneath him tilted a little as he moved; he looked down briefly, catching a glimpse of the diamond-shaped platform underneath him, that had seemingly been carved straight out of the floor itself. Then he looked up, shoulders shaking, and focused his wide gaze on White Diamond as he was brought up to her level, face to face. "Now, forgive me, it's been a few thousand years, but I believe our agreement was, if I won…"

"Agreement-?" Steven sputtered, and blinked. "Wait… I-"

"Hush, Starlight. Interrupting people is rude, you know," White Diamond admonished, and Steven clammed up without his permission, staring at her with wide eyes. "Now, then, our agreement was that if I won, which I did, you would return to Homeworld without a fuss. Your little charade worked out for quite a while and-" She smirked all of a sudden, huffing out a laugh, and Steven jerked his head back as the realization set in, like a heavy, cold weight in the pit of his stomach, and gaped at her as she giggled, "it was rather fun, I'll admit, you had a lot of gems fooled. Even your own little team! What a delight it was to watch, I will give you that, my dear. You gave everyone quite a scare," she cooed, and sighed, smiling almost fondly at him now. "But I think it's time to come home. I won, Pink. You lost. I always told you that you would."

Steven gave her a long, silent stare in response, meeting her cold gaze steadily, and whatever fear he had abruptly fizzled out to irritation. "Steven's- I- _we-_ " He stopped, frustrated, and ran his tongue over his lips before continuing, "I'm not Pink. I don't know what you're talking about, but-"

" _I think,_ " White Diamond interrupted, and Steven jerked his head back again, stiffening slightly as the giant gem pressed one black nail down against the front of the platform and tilted Steven a little closer to her as she did. He leaned his head back, but he didn't cower under her gaze this time, his eyes unwavering from her own as she leaned in and grinned at him again. "You need some time to _think_. That's fine. You've always been rather slow on the uptake, Starlight. Hopefully a month or so in the tower will be enough time for you to _remember_ your own little rules you set for your silly little game. I was patient enough to play along for as long as I did…" She paused, narrowing her eyes down at him for a moment. "But I'm starting to get angry, Pink. Your little games just get so old after a point. It's time to grow up and stop acting like a child."

As if a switch had been flipped, the corners of his mouth curved upwards into a vicious sneer, and his mouth moved without his permission, replying, "I _am_ a child. What's _your_ excuse?"

She stared at him, a mixture of shock and anger flitting across her face, while Steven struggled to figure out what the _fuck_ had just happened. He lifted a hand to his mouth, pressing his knuckles against his lips, then let out a startled gasp as he was boosted up a little higher. This time, the floor rose along with him around the platform, molding into it as it reached where he was until there was a full circle surrounding him now, and White Diamond leaned in close, fingers curling against the edges of it, and curled her lips back in a shark-like, angry grin.

Anger and fear clashed together in his stomach, and he once again felt like he was falling apart from the inside out. His hands twitched toward his gem without his permission, holding onto it tightly as White Diamond spoke. "Looks like someone's being a sore loser," she crooned, but anger laced her words like venom, a certain kind of danger behind her tone that gave the hybrid pause. "That's fine, Pink. You don't have to accept that you lost. But I will accept that I won."

"You didn't win anything," Steven hissed. "You're _wrong."_

"I am _never_ -" White Diamond's voice rose for a second, and the platform shook under Steven's feet, causing him to tense, drawing in a little on himself and hunching his shoulders as he stared up at the giant gem through narrowed eyes. "- _wrong._ _Never._ I've had enough of your attitude." Steven opened his mouth at that, furious, but White Diamond lifted a hand to cut him off, and the hybrid found himself clamming up yet again, anger mixing with fear once more in his gut as he struggled to hold himself together, both literally and figuratively. "Now I will see you in a month," she told him, her tone softening back to that soft coo, that false sweetness, something both she and Melanite had in common - that was enough to make Steven clench his teeth together about as tight as he could as he glared at her. "Hopefully that's enough time to think. If not…" She flashed him a sharp smile. "Well, the tower's still standing, and it'll take a little while to rebuild the rest of Homeworld. We can always just _adjust_ how long your punishment lasts. I'm not opposed. I waited thousands of years for this, I can wait a few more months. Regardless…"

Steven leaned his head back as she lifted her hand again, moving to press a finger to his nose. He jerked back, but it didn't stop her from reaching forward further until her nail pressed against the tip of his nose, an almost feathery touch that actually tickled him more than anything else.

She smiled, lifting her finger away, and winked. "You're _grounded_."

Steven flinched, body rocking a little in surprise as a sudden flash of white enveloped him, the same bubble as before, and sank back sharply with a deep, shaky breath. The ride was much quicker than before; he felt the bubble moving, wrapped securely around him, tight and almost suffocating. When it finally popped, he was much more ready than before; he landed steadily on his feet, shoulders tensing slightly as he looked around the room he'd been dropped into. A bare, empty room with no door that, admittedly, at first, reminded him of the _Room._ Except this one was much different; smaller, definitely. Though he had to hand it to White Diamond, as he took a quick look around, this one didn't seem nearly as bad. Hell, at least it had a window.

He stared at it blankly for a moment, completely disbelieving, then looked around again, shaking his head. He was… he was stuck in here. He was stuck in here. In a room. Again. For a month.

His stomach seized up on him without his permission, panic flooding his system at once, and he just couldn't take it anymore. That feeling returned, that horrible, splitting feeling that flushed right through his entire body, that feeling that made him feel like he was being ripped and split apart, that feeling that made him feel like he was destabilizing on the spot, and he couldn't hold himself together anymore. He tried, of course, for a good few seconds - because he didn't have the slightest clue what would happen if he didn't - but then he just couldn't. He couldn't fight it.

A bright pink flash flushed across the room, a wave of energy coursing through his muscles, and a warm heat enveloped him for a split second, bubbling through his blood like lava. He found himself falling back, a sudden pressure pushing against him, and landed a little too hard on his bottom against the cold floor with a startled gasp, which he heard echoed across from him along with a sharp _thump_ as something else landed. Or, rather, as he took a quick look… _someone._

His pink clone stared at him, his emotionless expression having been traded for a shocked one, pinprick pupils meeting the hybrid's wide gaze in silence. Steven found his breath hitching in his throat, the air knocked from his lungs at once as he realized what had just happened, and found his eyes darting down to the pink gem's stomach, and to the half of the gem that resided there.

Admittedly, he had to do a doubletake, and then a tripletake, before it registered.

Because it was only… _half_. Half of the gemstone embedded in his stomach. The left half, it looked like. Beside it, where the other half should have been, was nothing but a bright pink scar. Steven stared in disbelief, stomach churning violently through waves of nausea, and snapped his gaze down to where his gem should be. He almost fainted at the sight that met him; like his pink clone just in front of him, he only had half of the gemstone. The other half. The right half.

He stared at the gem, stared at the scar where the other half should have been - the other half, _stars, the other half that was embedded in his pink clone's stomach_ \- then looked up, stunned.

The pink gem stared back at him, pupils so small they were almost nonexistent.

Steven opened his mouth, chest shuddering on an inhale, and swallowed hard. "What…"

His pink clone shook his head, looking terrified, and looked down at his gem. "... happened?"


End file.
